the last two months...in short

Okay.... I'm not letting the guilt get me down. Just letting it get to me enough to get a post up. Things are great (but COLD) here in MN. Did I hear you say, "What have you been up to?" I'm so glad you asked! We have done so much! Let's see if I can run down memory lane real quick.

1. Well, I made it to a full year of staying home!! And I'll have to say that it has been fun, albeit exhausting!
2. Ben and I also made it to our 10th anniversary.... don't act so surprised! We celebrated it kidless in downtown Minneapolis - what a blast!
3. We've had a very cold and snowy winter which means we've done a lot of sledding alternated with huddling inside with hot chocolate. Madelyn likes the being outside part and Greyson has decided that he much rather stay inside.
4. We flew down south for Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time seeing Ben's extended family and meeting my first nephew, Sam!
5. My parents and sister came up for Christmas and it was hard to see them go... it seems that right as we're all reconnecting then someone has to leave.
6. Greyson is absolutely attached to his ukelele that we got him for his birthday! He hardly ever puts it down! He has made up his own hand sign -struming his fingers along the other hand's knuckles - to say that he wants to play it (along with saying "o-rahn ee-TAR" - orange guitar). Lately he has started "singing" to his playing too.
7. Madelyn is still my little dress-up queen. It is amazing! Now we have put her in dance class too so we now have a princess who wears ballet shoes, twirls, is learning her positions, and sings a very cute song with the words, "I love you, a bushel and a peck...." Very cute!

FYI - If I can find the time and gumption, I'll probably come back and do dedicated posts to some of these. We'll see...

6th folder, 6th picture

If I take what my friend, Tracy, says to be true, a challenge on the blogsphere lately is to post the sixth picture of the sixth folder on your harddrive. Well, here it is.... This is Madelyn on May 1, 2006 at a local Chinese buffet trying on a lab tech's glasses. I couldn't help but post it!

School Pictures

Aren't my little ones cute?!?!? The picture of Madelyn is right on! The picture of Greyson isn't his best but still good (especially with the digger overalls!). Enjoy!


I ordered them on a CD so I can print them as necessary. If you are interested in a home printed pic, comment or email me. Otherwise, you can order pro prints directly from the company (comment or email me and I'll give you the order info).

Book Club Report

I keep this log of what books we've read in our book club for mostly a selfish reason - so I can remember what I read and what it was about! However, if you get something out of it too, that's great! This time I had to go back into my emails to remember what we read in the last four months. I guess that means that it has been too long!

August Book/Julie's Pick:
The Last Lecture by (the late) Randy Pausch
Reading this book was surreal for me knowing that he had JUST passed away. It was like reading advice on life's priorities from someone that had to figure it out quick! Randy Pausch seemed like a quirky guy but had his heart and head in the ultimate right places.

September Book / Korrie's Pick:
The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman
This book was an interesting read. It is about a family where the women have special powers unveiled to them on their 13th birthday. I also thought it was about protecting the relationships that you probably take most for granted. I did have trouble with the "happily ever after" relationships though.

October Book / Melissa's Pick:
The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
I picked this book because I was in the mood to read a classic. I found it very intriguing as it referenced topics like marriage, divorce, adultery, loyalty, religion, deception.... all set in the early 1900's. I loved reading it!

November Book / Beth P's Pick:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Great read! I loved this book! It is written with the young reader in mind so it was an easy read too. Fictional but eye-opening about Native American culture and hardships.


Upcoming Books
Beth M's Pick: Strong at the Broken Places by Richard M. Cohen
Candy's Pick: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

PS - Julie and Kathy, come back to us when you can!

Wordless Wed: First Snow and Hot Chocolate

a no good, very bad day

I have to say that today has been a total stinker.... This morning I slam my elbow HARD into something and it hurt so much that my body decided to shut-down (read pass out) at which time I fell into a can of mineral spirits that left a large bump on my head. I woke up to Greyson saying "UP, Mama!" I think I was only out for about a minute. I felt bad for about an hour after that but was trying hard to shake it off. So, when Madelyn got home from preschool, I suggested to our neighbor friends that we go to the park and have a picnic (since it is gorgeous outside!). They agreed so we packed lunches and I grabbed my phone and camera too. Lunch was good and being outside was great. However, as we were going to leave, I couldn't find my camera. We scoured the place for about 30 minutes before I had to give up. I know I had it and I know that I put it down when I was catching Greyson from falling on his head. I remember thinking that I should put it with the wagon. Then I didn't and now it is gone. I don't want to leap to saying someone stole it, but I can't come up with another explanation. It isn't there anymore. I know it is just a thing and luckily I downloaded pictures just a few days ago, so I didn't lose but a few (really cute) pictures of the kids at a nearby lake. I'm more upset about the fact that I wasn't more careful. Things usually find their way back to me, but I don't think this one will.....

UPDATE!!! Ben found my camera!!! Woo-Hooo!!!! He stopped by the park on his way home and FOUND IT!! It was right by the picnic bench we sat at..... That is typical though. Ben teases me that I "couldn't find my butt with both hands"!